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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — obliged
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — of your body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — a box
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com